We woke up this morning to the realization that it was going to be our last full day in Nicaragua.  That is always a sobering thought for us.  Like most mission experiences, you are torn between the desire to stay and continue serving in a place you love but also feel the tug to return home to a sense of ‘normal’.

After loading up the truck one last time, we were off to Las Parcelas with an important task… finish Henry’s house.  We could only work in sections with the concrete floor and completed the porch, but that left the two interior rooms half dry and setting overnight.  And we had a deadline to return back to the compound, so it was time to make some concrete!

Trough after trough and wheelbarrow after wheelbarrow… the shovels and hoes were on a fast pace to keep mixing.  We knocked out the back room and then moved to the front and after a quick lunch, it was time to head back.  But before we loaded up, Henry and his wife and son came up to the house to share a few words of encouragement and gratitude with us.  This was incredibly powerful for us to receive.  We know how reserved this culture is and Henry is already a man of very few words.  It was a sweet time together.  And we were even more excited knowing we were headed back after completing the project.

We arrived back to get cleaned up and then head to Ruby’s House of Prayer.  I’ve written each and every year about this powerful place of ministry.  Sister Ruby has been with Jesus for many years now, but her legacy and more importantly, her ministry of prayer, continues to live on in power.

This is always an emotional, spiritual and relational time for our team.  It is so powerful to worship and pray together and be prayed over.  God’s Spirit most certainly moved in that upper room and we remain grateful for His presence.  We were all still processing at our team time this evening all of the things that were spoken and prayed over each one of us.

God has truly met us in this place.  There is no doubt we are all leaving changed.  The power of the Gospel has been working in us and we pray through us.  We likely have received more than we have given, but we also know we gave, served and loved with all of our hearts.  We are praying not only for our travel tomorrow, but that what God has done in our hearts will travel with us back to the States and will spread.